


Catch you, Catch me

by ang3lsh1



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crack, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Cardcaptor Sakura AU, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Erik is Crushing Harder than a 12-year Old Girl, Fluff, M/M, Magical Boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-18
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-01-25 14:22:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1651817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ang3lsh1/pseuds/ang3lsh1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles didn’t ask for any of this. All he meant to do was go through the mansion's library for reading material, or something. Instead he found an old, leather bound book titled ‘Book of the Clow’ depicting a blue raven on the cover. Being the precocious brat that he was, he just had to pick it up and read the first card he found, blowing the cards all over town, which in turn woke up the sleeping guardian, Raven, or as she likes to call herself Mystique. Who then proceeded to make him the Cardcaptor and to make matters worse Emma found out and insists on tagging along. Seriously, what is his life?</p><p>a.k.a. The Cardcaptor Sakura AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Charles didn’t ask for any of this, yelping as a sliver of sharp ice flew past him, grazing his cheek. As he races through the corridors of the aquarium, flanked by Raven, who flies on ahead to prompt Emma to start opening up the freezer door.

Speaking of Emma, Charles quickly pats his head, to make sure the daft sailor hat is still there. Emma would most certainly leak one of those photos if he managed to lose any part of the ensemble costume she’d crafted for him. With a sigh of relief, that’s short-lived by The Watery sending another pulse of icicles at his back, he rounds the corner and dashes into the open freezer, giving the thumbs up to Emma, who nods and places herself behind the door, out of sight.

Right on cue, The Watery comes splashing in with a snarl, but this time Charles is prepared, magic circle already up and he’s casting The Windy before ducking out of the freezer to help Emma seal the door shut. Once that’s done, they both collapse on the floor.

“Now to wait for Windy to die down before we reopen the door and I can seal The Watery back,” Charles says in between breaths.

“Never a dull moment with you, Charles,” Emma says dryly.

“Shush, you were the one who insisted on tagging along, not that I’m not grateful.”

“Congratulations Charles! You now have two of the four elemental cards!” Raven crows, as she flits about before landing on Charles’ shoulder, “Just fifteen more cards and we’ll have the whole deck back in no time.”

\---

It all started roughly three months back, when Charles was perusing the library in the mansion, perhaps it was simply an attempt in cataloguing the overflowing collection of books, when he came across a large leather tome, depicting a large blue raven on the cover. He turned the book over, hoping to find a blurb on it but the back cover was covered in concentric circles, depicting the sun and moon.

Assuming it was some sort of occult novelty, he undid the clasp and opened the book, only to find that it was in fact simply a hollow book, containing a deck of cards. Being the curious cat that he was, he picked up the first card and turned it around, assuming that it was just a set of fancy tarot cards.

The card had the figure of a woman asleep, enfolded in what appeared to be insect wings, below her image were the words ‘The Windy’. Clearly not a typical set of Tarot, he turned the card around to inspect the back, noting the same circles on the back of the book.

“Still, what a really odd naming sense,” Charles muttered to himself. “The Windy.”

As soon as the words left his lips, the card begun to glow and a strong gust of wind swept through the library sweeping and blowing the rest of the card deck out and up the chimney, startling Charles.

If that wasn’t out of the ordinary enough, the empty book started hovering and glowing too, with the same magic circle glowing beneath it. Large blue wings burst out and enfolded the book as it started glowing bright enough that Charles had to raise his hand to shield his eyes. When the brightness died down, he lowered his hand only to find the book resting above the tabletop as though nothing had happened. The large raven on the cover was missing.

Instead there appeared to be a large blue plush raven sitting on the table next to it, gazing up at him steadily. For the longest moment Charles wondered if he could just pretend he didn’t do anything and step out of the library and not come back. He’s sure the mansion has another library that he could peruse. He wouldn’t even need to come back to this one for the next ten years. Besides it’s not like anyone would come to investigate if he just locked it up and wandered away, right?

Then the raven blinked and lifted its wings as though stretching itself, rousing from a decade long slumber. It gave a cursory flap of the wings before propelling itself in the air to Charles height.

“You who have awakened me from my slumber, I am Mystique, guardian of the Book of Clow. What is your name?” Of course the raven spoke, in a very lovely feminine voice.

“Charles,” Damn his polite upbringing, always responding when spoken too, “Just exactly what is the book of the Clow?”

“It’ll be quicker to explain if I just showed you,” the raven replied, hopping back down to the table, deftly opening the book with a series of pecks and flick of her wings, before squawking back indignantly when it revealed itself to be empty. “Where the hell are the cards?”

Gingerly, Charles held up The Windy, surprised he’d still held on to it in the midst of everything. “Is this it?”

She fluttered up to get a better view, “Yes, that’s certainly one of them, but where are the rest…” trailing off when she realised that Charles was studiously avoiding her gaze. She narrows her eyes “What. Did. You do. With. My. Cards?” punctuating each word with a timed peck on his perfectly formed bedhead.

Charles yelped, hands flying up to shield his head from an aggressive plush raven sniping down at him as he explained the situation.

Apparently satisfied with his answer, the raven alighted on the tabletop, “ Well nothing to be done about that.”

He gave a sigh of relief that he quickly choked on when the raven followed up with, “You’ll just have to catch the cards for me.”

“What?” Charles asked in disbelief.

“You’ve got the potential. After all not only did you open the book, you managed to summon The Windy on your first try,” another deft turn of her wing revealed a small key chain, that elongates into an elegant pink staff as it floated on its way to Charles.

“Now repeat the binding contract after me,” she intones, being caught off guard, Charles followed through, belatedly cursing his proper upbringing once again.

Quietly Charles despaired, clearly he had been shoved into some sort of magical boy series of sorts. Why didn’t he ever listen to advice that said do not speak latin from ancient texts aloud. So it was English, but surely the odd phrasing should have sounded off the proverbial alarm bells. But no. Curiosity got the better of him, as always.

\---

Things went along fine until one day, Emma came up to him after classes, setting a camcorder in front of him.

You’d think that Charles would learn from past mistakes, like don’t read from that mysterious book, don’t eat whatever Hank has cooked in the science lab or don’t touch whatever strangers place in front of you.

But then again, it is Emma Frost. There really isn’t any other option that the ones that are picked out for you by Emma Frost.

Besides it’s Emma, his best and perhaps only friend ever since they were six, lumped in together with the other children during one of their parent’s society parties held at the Xavier mansion.

One of the other children had gotten juice all over her white, silk dress and as her face began to crumple, Charles had come to the rescue. Dragging her into the closest powder room, spending the rest of the party with paper towels and water trying to blot out the stains out, prattling over whatever came to mind to distract Emma.

By the time the adults had found and cooed over what an adorable couple they made, Emma had regained her poise, but it was enough that every party hereafter, Emma would seek Charles company and likewise.

When you’re forced into society life at the ripe young age of six, you tend to learn to make associates and keep the only friends you have closer, and if you were similar in temperament it helps get through the long hours of having to be seen and not heard by the adults. So you can’t really fault Charles for having to go along with it.

He takes a deep breath and presses play, expecting all sorts of drunk or silly mishaps, but nothing prepares him for the sight of himself on screen, wielding a very familiar pink staff, standing above an even more familiar magic circle summoning The Windy to catch The Fly card.

“You’ve been having all sorts of scrapes without me,” Emma purrs as she seats herself in front of him.

“I…I...don’t actually have an explanation for this,” Charles flounders for a bit, before making the snap decision of pulling Raven out of the bag by the scruff of her neck. It’s better to just make Emma part of this instead of lying to her. After all, Emma is much more terrifying at wheedling all sorts of secrets out of him and her wrath at being left out is much, much greater than having to put up with some sort of secret double life.

“Emma, this is Raven,” Charles starts.

She lifts an unimpressed eyebrow at Charles but before she speaks, Raven shakes herself awake before flying up to perch on Charles hair. It’s become habit after she discovered that it really is a comfortable nesting ground, he’s given up trying to discourage her. It’s better than having her gobble up all the sweets in the house, he is the little lord of the mansion but the kitchen help will only let him get away with so much.

“That’s really an impressive toy, since when did the Xavier’s expand into toy development,” Emma asks.

“Excuse you, I’m not a toy. I am Mystique, guardian of the Clow Cards,” Raven squawks indignantly, flapping her wings as she makes herself more comfortable.

“I just call her Raven,” Charles winces, as Raven tugs on his hair in response to that.

Emma leans forward, clearly intrigued by the proceedings.

After Charles finishes the explanations, with inclusions from Raven, Emma taps her chin, “You do realise that I’m coming along for each and every of your next ventures.”

Charles nods sensing more to come.

“And that this makes it the perfect opportunity to find out just how well our clothing lines holds up in action.”

Charles stares at her in disbelief. “You don’t mean…”

“Why yes, Charles, I do believe you’ll be perfect as our new model.”

\---

Things have been going well for Charles. Six cards down, thirteen to go, his grades are still up and Emma...well, the costumes get more elaborate and ridiculous with each change and he never knew that there were just so many shades of white. Still, he cringes whenever the commercials for Blanche, the Frost’s casual RTW fashion line, comes on, he knows the general public believes that it’s all SFX and his face is generally obscured, but still. Some of those clothes were just obscene from those angles.

Still, things have been looking up for Charles. That is until the new German transfer student, Erik Lehnsherr came in. He had offered to show him around, in his most beguiling manner, just the slight widening of his eyes, earnest but not the creepy coming on too strong, and certainly not that coy, lip-licking, glancing up from under his eyelashes which Emma dubs his slut-mode, but Erik declined brusquely, muttering something about finding cards before skulking out, rather dramatically. He was only missing a cape to swing around his shoulder to complete the exit.

Pity though, he is kind of dreamy. If you like that sort of tall, broody, perpetual scowl with CLAMP-esque body proportions. With rather large hands… perhaps Charles should have employed his slut mode after all. Even Emma approves of Erik, from the quick appraising glance, calculating how well he would fit into their fitted suits.

The subject of Erik is quickly forgotten as time went on, occasionally Charles sees him out the of the corner of his eye. Usually around the time when both Raven and him are out scouting for any signs of activity from the crowd, but Charles dismisses it as sheer coincidence. It got to the point where even Emma points out Erik skulking around, when editing her latest footage of Charles capturing The Illusion card for a new commercial.

“I’m quite sure he’s stalking you, Charles. Look at him,” she pauses the video and points in the upper left corner. “He’s being all scowly and stalkery like a twelve year old with a massive crush on you, almost like, wait no. Exactly like Angel.”

Raven takes notice of that, perking up from her nest in Charles’ hair.

Charles takes the moment to enjoy the view of Erik lounging against the lamp post dressed in a leather jacket before registering Emma’s point. He’s taken with the idea for about five minutes before recalling that if Erik is Angel, then he’s most definitely Buffy. And no thank you, he’d rather stick to being a magical boy instead. He’s got a better shot at having a happy, stable relationship and coming out alive.

“It must be just a coincidence, Emma. After all the cards are a mischievous bunch, they enjoy performing to a crowd. Whether the crowd enjoys it is another thing, though they most certainly acknowledge it. Usually by screaming,” Charles says, taking another sip of the vodka Emma so kindly remembered. If he has to sit through a recording of him prancing about in that particular outfit, he would very much like to be drunk for it, thank you very much.

\---

Life goes by until the next card surfaces, going by the reports of an influx of thunderstorms in their area, without rain, Raven surmises that it would highly likely be The Thunder card.

“It’s likely to gather around the highest point, the whole lightning striking the highest point and all that,Thunder has always been fond of high spots,” Raven explains, shifting about on Charles’ head. It’s gotten to the point where he’s starting to think of it as a form of therapeutic massage.

They decide to head off under the cover of night, which Charles is eternally grateful for since Emma has been particularly creative with tonight’s outfit: the shirt is innocent enough, plain linen cut in an oxford but with three-quarter sleeves, with the front cut short and a trailing back to form tails, but paired with a pair of shorts that are so short they should be illegal. He should be thankful that at least it doesn’t hinder maneuverability. The perils of being a literal magical boy. He still doesn’t understand why he needs to be in such showy outfits. But then again, photos.

Raven even gets a little jacket with tails to match, which she is delights in swooping over Charles head, showing how well it flutters after her.

They manage to scale up to the top of the communications building, it’s the only one on campus with the most horrendous metal sculpture up top, they use to joke that it was meant to be the antennae of the building, after all something that large should be able to catch the most radio waves.

“The presence of the other Clow Cards should be enough to draw its interest here, then all we have to do is try to make it strike and ground it so that you can seal it,” Raven’s explanation is cut short by lightning striking just two inches from Charles.

“Easier said than done,” Charles yelps leaping away from the spot as he summons Jump, widening his distance from the the smell of burnt ozone singeing the air. He can see the lightning coalescing into a bright, luminous tiger-like creature that leaps back up into the atmosphere.

A quick glance to his surroundings tells him that Emma has escaped to the stairs from which they came from. Satisfied that she’s out of the target range, both Raven and him try to herd The Thunder toward the metal sculpture.

It takes plenty of fancy footwork and some singed hair before Charles manages to lure it towards the metal sculpture, with Raven’s quick skills at dodging at the last minute allowing The Thunder to strike it head on, but as Charles proceeds to cast the incantation to seal the card, it jumps out at him, prepared to strike his staff head on.

“Charles!” both Raven and Emma cry out, too far to reach him in time.

He’s sent sprawling across the ground as both Raven and Emma come running up to him.

“Charles, are you okay Charles?” Raven hovers over him as he picks himself up, surprisingly he is unharmed, saved from a few scratches from the fall.

In his place is a earthen golem, grounding The Thunder’s electrical current, with a tall metal staff.

“Seal it now, Charles!” Erik yells.

Even though Charles is caught off-guard by this sudden turn of events, he’s quick enough to summon the magic circle and chant the incantation to seal The Thunder card.

Now with the card in hand, he turns to Erik but before he has a chance to even utter a word, the clouds overhead decide that, now that the thunder and lightning is gone, it’s finally time to let loose in a downpour.

Seriously what is his life. He finally has a chance to maybe have a proper conversation with the potential love interest and it rains, which brings to mind exactly what he’s dressed up in and oh god, it’s nothing but white linen, meaning transparent in rain, oh god, he can feel his face heating up. Seriously, just what is his life.

It doesn’t help that Erik stiffly walks up to him, removes his leather jacket before wrapping it around Charles shoulders, before taking a step back from him. Then another ending with a quick turn and sprinting off.

Charles would almost find the poor wet golem trailing off after Erik, still clutching the tall metal staff; comical had he not been so despondent over missing his chance with Erik.

Emma steps up, covering them both with an umbrella, always resourceful, his Emma. “Cheer up darling, he’ll come around.”

“That’s right, I mean this is the staple of every magical boy genre, anyway,” Raven comments as she takes her usual seat on his shoulder.

“Besides only eleven cards to go now,” she trills as she lifts into the air leading the way home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry but I've really lost touch with this fandom but this are my notes for what I had left for this AU. 
> 
> I've decided to post my notes on the various works that I had going on just for completionist sake.
> 
> Thanks for your patience.

Emma loves Charles.

Now anyone else at the point of having this thought would treat this like a revelation of a sort.

Not Emma.

Emma Frost does not have self-revelations. She probably sprung from birth self-aware and encrusted in diamonds. She knows herself as fiercely and stately as the jewels she enjoys encasing herself in.

This is a fact she’s known ever since they were six, when Charles had come to her aid like the knight of moist towelettes and paper towels, helping her get orange stains out of her white dress. She knew there and then that Charles wasn’t like any of the other children at these boring adult parties, the only upside was that she got to wear prettier dresses than usual, later on when she learnt to play the game, she’d appreciate these parties for what they were. However at that moment in time, Emma knew that she was going to keep Charles.

It has never ceased to amaze her just how Charles managed to remain as though he’s made of sugary spun goodness growing up as they did, balls full of scheming, every adult with their own agenda, and the children growing up to be the same. But there’s a tart centre in that meringue puff.

Anyway Emma knows deep down if Charles hadn’t been there who knows what path Emma might have gone down and Charles is like the only saving grace in her childhood aside from her brother Christian but he managed to get out and so that leaves her behind but as least she has Charles and that makes things better. She does realise that this may provoke some sort of co-dependency issues they may have together but she wouldn’t give up Charles for the world.

He makes things brighter.

Emma will do anything to make sure Charles continues to shine.

And so when Erik comes along.

* * *

 

Instead Erik turns tail and runs off in the other direction everytime he sees Charles only skulking around potential card sites. It’s all very Tuxedo mask and Charles’ gets a little tired of it. At some point in time, he’d really like to have those shoujo bubbly make-out sessions as is the norm of the usual shoujo manga. But every time he tries his very best to corner Erik into a ‘conversation’ Erik finds ways and means to disappear.

Until the Mirror card turns up, who apparently has been draping themselves all over Erik and flirting shamelessly with him.

Emma informs him of the details to his slight horror, she also comments that she never knew Erik could go that shade of red.

* * *

  

Mirror card lures Erik into a trap in a very compromising position when Charles finds him. Cue lots of floundering from Erik, especially since Mirror!Charles is dressed in the wet linen clothes.

Mirror insists they've just helping to speed along the inevitable since Erik would forever be an emotionally constipated 12-year old otherwise. Charles very gratefully agrees behind Erik’s back and treats Mirror to ice-cream later.

Later, the first time Charles visits Erik’s apartment, the little golem is there resplendent in a cute frilly apron who goes about making and setting tea in front Charles who blushes when Charles thanks her and Charles takes to calling her golem-chan, a keepsake from Erik’s mother, tasked with taking care of him since he obviously doesn’t do so well in that aspect.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I know most of these bits are very out of character given the recent movies, this was written during XMFC era and I had been going for the late 90's shoujo era vibes.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank to **kageillusionz** for the quick beta. I do have a few more scenes planned out for this but that's all folks.
> 
> This is the result of nostalgic binging of Cardcaptor Sakura and Cherik constantly on the brain. Enjoy.
> 
> Title is from the anime's first op.


End file.
